Hello indies! Do you engage your fans? If not, it’s time to start! The days of the unreachable celebrity musician are officially over. In today’s social media driven market, fans are demanding transparency and want to see as much of your life as possible. That being said, you want to show that you them you are an appreciative artist and make them feel like they are a part of your dream! Your fans are what will make or break you, so it is important for indie artists to form a personal relationship with them from the start. The best way build this relationship plus grow your fan base on social media is to engage with them! So here are some ideas to help you engage better:
Show some love.
Liking or favoriting a post is great, but it means way more to your fans if you actually leave a comment, emoji ❤️ or reply. If your on Twitter, a simple “retweet” goes a long way! Not only will it make your fans feel important, it will encourage them to share or promote your music in the future. Remember, free fan promo is the BEST kind of promo.
Share your fans’ experiences.
If you a have some cool photos with your fans or if they have created a fan-made piece of jewelry or art – post it! Tag them if you can or you can ask them to tag themselves in your post. By doing so you seem grateful and your fans will know that you care.
Use newsjacking.
Newsjacking is basically injecting you own ideas or feelings about a current issue in the news. Asking your fans about how they are reacting to something going on in the news is a great way to engage them without focusing exclusively on just your brand. Now be careful with what issue you choose, stay away from things that may be too controversial or could end up turning your fans away.
Ask for tips.
If your going to a different city or country for the first time, it is a great idea to ask your fan base for their advice! “What’s the best restaurant in ____?” What place should I visit while I’m in ____?” “Where can I find a cool outfit in ___?” This not only will help you with your travel, but you will likely uncover a fan base in that area that you never knew you had.
Use Contests.
Contests are a great way to gain fan attention and bring in more followers. The best contests allow fans to be creative. Try inviting your fan to post interesting photos with your merch or pictures from shows with a unique hashtag that relates back to your brand. It is also not a bad idea to team up with a another artist on a contest, especially if you have a collaboration track out with them. This builds fan followers on both ends and inspires them to truly engage with you.
Just say thank you!
Every fan loves to hear “thank you” from an artist they admire, so make sure to say it often on social media. Saying thank you with a picture post is always a good way to get fans to engage with you. Or even better, say it with a video post! You can use video across almost all social mediums now – even Twitter has finally introduced a video feature. Put together a nice compilation video of fan photos, fan-made items, posts etc and share it across you best social platforms. You can even say it in song to be even more engaging and creative! People today are more visual then ever, so this is a wonderful way to show your fans that you love them as much as they love you.
I hope these tips will help you engage with your current fan base and gain more! Good luck indies 🙂
Facebook Comments
